A common folly of strategic planning is to ignore the evolution of threats and tactics. In his History of the Second World War, Liddel Hart attributes the Germans' success in May 1940 to Allied blunders that were "largely due to the prevalence of out-of-date ideas."1 Fundamental change in the dynamics of international relations is always difficult to recognize.2 The continuing evolution in information technology is not nearly as subtle, and its consequences are not divorced from national security considerations. Terrorism, like any other attack of political violence, is a threat to the national security of a liberal democracy. Many aspects of information technology carry national security implications. Before policymakers blindly embrace global designs of information infrastructures, they should first determine: (1) how information technology affects international politics at a fundamental level; (2) how such technology affects the nature of competition among states within international politics; and (3) whether information technology itself acquires a political character. Once these elements have been evaluated, one will be better prepared to orient strategies around subtle changes in international relations and national security.
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